BEIJING and Hebei have continued the highest level alerts yesterday as downpours continue to lash the region.

Two people were found dead in Beijing’s Mentougou District yesterday due to continuous heavy downpours, which started in the area Saturday evening, according to local authorities.

The two people showed no vital signs when they were found in a river during an emergency patrol. From 8 p.m. Saturday to noon yesterday, the average rainfall recorded at multiple stations in Mentougou have reached 320.8 mm.

Meteorological authorities in Beijing maintained a red alert for rainstorms yesterday morning due to forecasts of torrential rain between 10 a.m. yesterday and 8 a.m. today, and warned that small- and medium-sized rivers could experience flash floods and landslides.

As of 10 a.m. yesterday, operations on 275 bus lines run by Beijing Public Transport Corporation were affected, and several train routes in the suburban areas suspended service.

Meanwhile, the neighboring Hebei Province has also activated the highest level alerts for rainstorms, flood control, and waterlogging prevention in response to the heavy rainfall.

The Hebei provincial meteorological observatory continued to issue a red alert for rainstorms at 8:59 a.m. yesterday. It forecast that stormy weather will persist in parts of Zhangjiakou, Chengde, Tangshan, Baoding, Xiong’an New Area, Langfang, and Shijiazhuang, the provincial capital, with accumulative precipitation likely exceeding 250 mm in some areas.

As of yesterday noon, more than 54,890 people in the city of Baoding in Hebei had been evacuated, and powerful flood waters had destroyed several bridges in the city’s Fuping Township, according to the city’s flood control and drought relief headquarters.

Some northern areas of Baoding are currently operating under a Level II risk level for water logging, the second-highest.

Meanwhile, East China’s Zhejiang Province has activated a Level IV emergency response, as Typhoon Khanun, the sixth typhoon of this year, moves closer.

Meteorological experts expected storm tides to hit coastal areas of Zhejiang from yesterday to Thursday due to the impact of Typhoon Khanun, with tides along some sections of the coast surging higher than the alert level.

(Xinhua)